May 2022 was yet a good month for the Uganda Marketing space. Our monthly evaluation was based on the criteria below.
- Big idea(s)
- Integration of communications across various platforms
- Execution
- Achievement of Objectives
1. MTN Momo Nyabo Waaka campaign
Uganda’s telecommunications giant never disappoints when it comes to marketing. The 4th edition of MoMo Nyabo Waaka ranks No.1 on this list.
MoMo promotion is meant to celebrate the resilience of MTN customers, who despite the two difficult years of lockdown continue to hustle to make it.
Launched on May 7th under the theme MoMo Nyabo Waaka, MTN promised to reward prizes worth over 2.5 billion shillings to be won by over 16,000 MTN MoMo customers and agents across the country.
The offers
Customers only need to deposit Ush. 20,000/- or more on their MTN Mobile Money accounts to stand a chance to win prizes including 24 brand new Toyota Succeed cars, and mobile money worth Ush 1,600,000,000/-.
Three lucky customers have been winning Toyota Exceed every week while 2,000 winning Ugx 100,000/- mobile money every week for 8 weeks.
Over 5,000 MTN Mobile Money agents countrywide, who excel in their business performance to get mobile money over the period of the promotion. What an offer!
Execution
An experiential and smooth launch was held successfully followed by countrywide activations starting with markets around Kampala Centra business district on the same day.
The TV commercial was smooth with a rich yet playful storyboard to deliver the message easily.
Billboard across the country, Radio and TV advertising followed. The campaign became popular when weekly rewards were started.
This was excellently executed. Kudos to agencies including Swangz Avenue for the best TV commercial so far, Talent Africa for the launch execution, TBWA Uganda, and everyone behind this amazing campaign.
2. Stanbic Bank One step closer campaign
A creeping social media hashtag #OneStepCloser has been gaining popularity in recent months without being linked to any brand.
This raised talkability when Stanbic Bank Uganda unveiled it as the lender’s new brand campaign aimed at rallying Ugandans to pursue their dreams and rebuild their businesses after the pandemic.
The big idea
The #OneStepCloser campaign aims at reassuring Ugandans that no matter what they have been through, they shouldn’t give up on their dreams and that every effort they invest helps them to get closer to achieving their bigger goals.
The brand campaign was aimed at cheering Ugandans to believe and not to give up on their dreams with Stanbic Bank as their partner.
Execution
Stanbic Bank has over the years used story telling as a key tool to deliver outstanding campaigns. This story was placed in context of the country having returned from nearly two years of a pandemic induced lockdown. The economy was half at work with critical sectors such as education, and entertainment, own, this affected businesses with many losing revenues while others closed entirely.
The campaign was executed with both below and above the line initiatives that made it highly popular.
This was marketing supremacy by Uganda`s top most bank. We liked it.
3. MTN Uganda Hip Hop awards 2022
No. 3 was the 2022 Hip-Hop awards held on Saturday, 28th May 2022 with the aim of recognizing accomplished hip-hop artists, will also uplift virgin talent through the MTN Pulse Cypher challenge.
This was after 5 years of successfully organizing the MTN UG Hip-Hop awards. The sixth edition of the MTN UG Hip-Hop awards was superior to those before.
The MTN Pulse Cypher allows new and undiscovered talent to showcase their abilities in an online Hip-Hop rap battle which has been elevated to another level. The winner of the MTN Pulse Cypher took home UGX2million, while the second and third walked away with UGX1.5million and UGX1million respectively.
To take part in the MTN Pulse Cypher and stand a chance to win the prize money, Pulsers were required to download the MTN Pulse Cypher beat from the MTN Pulse microsite, recorded a one-minute video of themselves rapping to the beat and then uploaded the video on Instagram or Twitter and tag MTN with the hashtag #MTNPulseCypher
It is based on these submissions that judges selected the top 10 contenders who faced-off in the MTN Pulse studio that later informed the choice of the top 5 finalists.
The 2022 awards took place at a glamorous gala executed by Talent Africa Group.
Kudos to UG Hip-Hop Awards, MTN, co-sponsors including Mountain Dew and Magic TV. The youth in Uganda surely loved this edition.
4. Absa Bank Uganda Family protection insurance plan
No. 5 was the Absa Uganda, Prudential Uganda Family Protection Plan launch.
This life insurance policy was designed to help families plan for the financial needs faced during the loss of loved ones who are either members or immediate member of a family.
The policy caters to funeral expenses and other paybacks to help families navigate the unexpected hardships that arise during times of loss and grief.
The new product/cover is now available to customers in three attractive packages of shs5,000, Ugx 10,000 and Ugx 20,000 per month.
These two brands identified a big problem of a very low uptake of insurance in Uganda, with even lower statistics when considering life insurance.
Through partnership marketing, Prudential and Absa Uganda shall expand the Bancassurance offer towards ensuring that more Ugandans are insured as part of the drive to deepen financial inclusion in the country. We surely liked that.
The launch was executed simply with visibility of both brands coupled with other various tactics that made it excellent.
Kudos to both Absa and Prudential Uganda teams for thinking out of the box on this new product launch
5. Sprite Uganda new look launch by Cocacola
At no. 4 was the unveiling of the new iconic look for sparkling lemon-lime flavored soft drink Sprite in a clear polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic bottle packaging by Coca-Cola Uganda was among key product launches we liked in May.
Uganda becomes the 5th African market to introduce the Sprite clear PET, after South Africa, Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Kenya.
This shift from its iconic green bottle means more Sprite bottles can be collected, recycled, and reused to make new items – a move that is part of The Coca-Cola Company’s World Without Waste vision, which targets to collect and recycle the equivalent of every bottle or can it sell and use 50% recycled content in all its packaging by 2030.
This launch promotes the sustainability agenda which is a key element of the Cocacola business.
The launch that included various tactics including experiential, influencer marketing by an army of micro influencers, product testing made it out of the ordinary.
Post launch initiatives had mass advertising including instore activations, TV, Outdoor and Radio engagements to promote the new Sprite drink.
We also liked the big idea of clear PET plastic contributing towards economic empowerment as it will contribute to enhanced income for waste reclaimers in Uganda who depend on collecting and selling packaging waste for a living together with polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic bottle packaging being an assurance to environmental sustainability that many brands are struggling to implement.
Kudos to the Marketing brains and partner agencies for pulling off this amazing launch.